Bimal Gurung wishes 72nd Independence Day 15 August 2018

From his hiding location, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha President Bimal Gurung extend the festive wishes of 72nd Independence Day, 15th August 2018 for the public through a press note that was issued on behalf of the party’s Central Committee. In his note, It is written as follows:-

On behalf of all the Gorkhas spread across our nation, I wish you all a very Happy Independence Day.

The commemoration of Independence Day is a very personal experience for all the Indian Gorkha families, as every family has sacrificed a member to uphold the freedom and independence of our nation.From the very first Gorkha Freedom Martyr Subedar Niranjan Chhetri of Manipur to INA Major Durga Malla of Dehradun. From organizing labourers in the coal mines of Bihar as Helen Lepcha to blowing up British Tanks in Burma as INA Janbaz Dal Martyrs Sabitri Thapa and Indreni Thapa. From giving music to Indian National Anthem as INA Capt Ram Singh Thakuri of Himachal to helping draft the constitution of our great nation as Adv. Ari Bahadur Gurung of Darjeeling and thousands others like them, the glorious Gorkha contributions to the Freedom Movement of India is what inspires the present day Gorkhas to carry on, with the same sense of patriotism and sense of duty towards our nation.Each day thousands of Gorkha men and women put their life at risk to protect our nation from inimical forces, and they do so with the same pride and joy, with which our ancestors had fought to secure the freedom of our nation from the colonialists.Today as we celebrate the Independence Day, I request you to take a moment to thank all those brave men and women who are serving as soldiers in the army, navy, airforce, paramilitary forces and police, and their families whose sacrifices make it possible for us to remain independent.

While we are today celebrating the 72nd Independence Day, I want to draw the attention of our nation towards the plight of minority Gorkhas, Adivasis, and Rajbanshis in North Bengal. Today, all our fundamental rights have been curtailed and all the provisions of our constitution that guarantees us to have a say in our nation has been snatched away by the West Bengal government. While the nation is celebrating our Independence Day thousands of Gorkhaland supporters are being hounded, arrested, and threatened for demanding what is guaranteed under Article 3 of our constitution - a new state.Freedom is an essence for which our ancestors sacrificed their everything, and today that very freedom is being denied to our people. I therefore appeal to every citizen of our nation, to pledge to stand with us in our struggle for justice, equality, and freedom from tyrany, oppression and discrimination that we are facing in West Bengal.

On behalf of the Gorkhas, I once again wish you all a very Happy Independence Day.